Statins And Dementia.

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Last Saturday I read an article in the Daily Mail regarding Statins...the title being,
"Have benefits of statins been exaggerated? Advocates distorted statistics and downplayed side-effects say experts".

In the article it stated that ‘Increased rates of cancer, cataracts, diabetes, cognitive impairments and musculoskeletal disorders more than offset the modest cardiovascular benefits of statin treatment.’

With the rates of Dementia increasing I just wonder if Statins have anything to do with this increase.
I only ask because my Father died of Dementia and Statins were the first tablets his Doctor put him on during his late fifties even though he didn't have any symptoms or health issues..it was, in his words "a preventative measure".
Looking back I do now wonder if all the other health issues he developed after were brought on by taking Statins.
He developed high blood pressure, diabetes, cataracts, muscle pain, dry mouth and eventually Dementia.
I am so wary of Statins now that I would not take them.
Having seen what my Father went through I really think there may be a connection.

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I was given them a few months ago when my cholesterol level was 6.3 but didn't take them, preferring to really adjust my lifestyle and bring it down myself, I've done this before with great results...I am only in my 40's....obviously I allowed myself far too many treats over Christmas and took my eye off the ball so to speak.
After reading the leaflet that comes with the Statins and raising my concerns with my Doctor I was flatly told I wouldn't be able to get my cholesterol down through lifestyle alone and it would be far quicker with Statins...I replied that I would at least like the chance to try before I resort to medication which I'm sure didn't help my Father at all.

The thing that scared me was when my Doctor told me to make sure I took the Statins at bedtime so the fat that gets removed from your liver comes out with your poo in the morning.
I asked why I needed to do this and was told, "you don't want it going to your brain" .
Now that seriously freaked me out
What the hell are Doctors prescribing us...it reminds me of the Thalidomide drug.

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I've been lurking on this site for a couple of weeks, and have just joined in order to comment on this thread. I feel strongly that statins may not be as safe as we are told they are.

My late mother didn't have Alz, but she did have severe brain damage as a result of a bad reaction to a general anaesthetic (she was epileptic, and it set off major seizures which went on for days - the result was something that looked exactly like Alz). She was later prescribed statins. After a couple of days, her skin began to turn red and become sore. This continued to get worse, and after about five to seven days, my father and I decided to stop giving her the statins, in case that was the cause. The skin condition then got even worse, and she ended up with ulcers which eventually started splitting and weeping. This went on for an entire year. My poor mother was in great pain, covered from head to foot in surgical bandages, and with district nurses coming in several times a day to change her dressings and apply cream all over her body. It was horrific, and heartbreaking. She suffered so much.

Her skin cleared up after she had to go into hospital for something unrelated to her skin condition. (This isn't really relevant, but very oddly, her doctor said that he had seen mysterious conditions clear up before when the patient had a hospital admission for something unrelated.)

I am pretty much convinced that the statins caused this skin problem - if they didn't, it was a very weird coincidence. Personally, having seen what they possibly did to her after only a few days, I wouldn't touch them with a six-foot pole.

I suppose to be fair to statins, I ought to add that my 88-year-old father has now been prescribed statins, and he is taking them without apparent ill effects. I asked him if he really wanted to take them after what happened to my mum, but he said he couldn't remember that at all - his memory isn't what it was when she was alive (which is why I've ended up on TP - he is not too bad mentally, and is not diagnosed as having Alz, but things like forgetting something so major and horrible really worry me a lot.)

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This has been raised a number of times on TP - every time an article about it comes up in a newspaper in fact .Try searching under statins.

I have taken statins for over 10 years and have suffered no side effects and,as far as I am aware, my cognitive abilities are intact.

My cholestrol reduced speedily once I started them.
It is up to each person to make up their own mind about whether to take them or not.
I think it wise to let your GP know if he has prescribed them and you stop though.

About the fat going to your brain! - I understood that the statin worked by preventing the liver making the fat in the first place and it works more efficiently at night.
Yes, I would have chyanged doctors too!

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I have never taken nor been offered statins, despite having a raised Cholesterol, above 8 at one point but only after I had presented with symptoms. Previous cholesterol checks were all ok Very difficult to try and get it down when my symptoms are bad but I do try to.

I think the Dr was trying to say the reason for the statins to decrease cholesterol as build up of fat in the brain not good?? I don't know and am neither advocating statins or not. A family member was put on statins and developed mild diabetes and is now showing signs of memory loss

I think the human body was better designed than we appreciate at times and whilst in certain illnesses, diseases, drugs of course help, but to suggest that everyone takes something regularly like statins as a preventative measure is not a good thing in my view.

Perhaps we should start a thread, how to get your cholesterol down the healthy way?

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If my doctor told me "you don't want it going to your brain" I think I would probably ask to see another doctor! The chemicals from the statins go into your brain. I sometimes think the medical profession/drug companies are just using us the general public as guinea pigs and there is, of course, the billions drugs companies make in profits.

With respect, you misunderstood me....not the chemicals going to your brain.
Statins work by controlling cholesterol production in the liver and so any deposits of cholesterol will be removed from your body.
The Doctor told me to take the Statin at night so any deposits will come out with your poo in the morning....when I asked why at night she said "you don't want it going to your brain", ie. the fat deposits.

That's what got me thinking regards Dementia...if people are taking Statins at the wrong time and if their Doctor doesn't know of a correct time, the fat deposits must be going to some people's brain.

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This is what I thought but after the Doctor said that to me it did get me thinking.
I suppose Statins do the same thing regardless of when they are taken but you have to wonder why pooing the fat out in the morning is better for you rather than it going to your brain.

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I think trying to lead a healthy lifestyle helps, don't smoke, no chips! fresh fruit, (not fruit juice) apparently this contains loads of sugar, I don't eat red meat but I do eat loads of nuts, and exercise which is, what I suppose doctor's have been telling us for years. The problem with the exercise bit is I am not as "supple" as I once was.

Exactly...which is what I will be doing....having said that, I am an active person but over Christmas I indulged like many others did and my Cholesterol went up...what makes me angry is that the GP was more interested in prescribing these damn Statins than encouraging me to be more healthy...if you read the leaflet that comes with the Statins it says you must include a healthy lifestyle....does make you wonder how much Doctors are getting paid to push Statins.

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Thanks Lexy, but trying to do that with dementia symptoms is a nightmare. I have always eaten a healthy diet. One of my symptoms, a drastic change in dietary habits is what alarmed me ++++ , still does. When my brain goes AWOL so does my diet and craves the wrong things in attempt to get glucose to the brain cells as nothing seems to work. In my better phases I revert to my healthy eating. I even wonder if my cholesterol became raised to protect my brain at a time of heightened stress, at that point my diet was ok We still don't know enough about it, much needed research, I wonder how often dementia sufferer s routinely have their cholesterol checked? Unless someone ensures it happens they are more than unlikely to.

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There's a new study happening (link below) looking into the side effects of statins so I suppose at some point in the future we may get an answer.
Most of the men I know of my age are prescribed statins and most of the don't take them (me included). So as not to get on the wrong side of the doctor they get the prescription then bin them, massive waste to the NHS as most of them are on free prescriptions and any study based on the paper evidence won't necessarily be accurate if it doesn't take this into account.
There is a government website where can report the side effect of medicines the Yellow Card Scheme(second link) but I've never met anyone who knows about it let alone used it, I wonder what would happen if we did?
Of the about 10 things my mother was prescribed she only took 3, they were delivered by the chemists and she just put them all in a cupboard there must have been 100's of pounds worth. When I found them I returned them to the chemists but a lot were out of date.
I blame in part the doctors some (not all) expect you to do what they tell you and if you question it they're quite patronising, I wonder if doctors took a different view then people could be more honest with them, it would save the NHS a fortune.
Anyone else want to own up to having a secret stash of meds they don't take?
K

It was describe as being proposed in the link below on the 1st of Feb this year, I believe they get extra money for patient with long term medical conditions like heart disease, asthma, COPD and services like maternity care and other surgery facilities like that I don't know if AZ gets them anything extra except the £55 for diagnosing.
K